A Lawman's Justice (Sweetwater Ranch Book 8) (16 page)

But she was wrong.

Partly anyway.

The hired thug was indeed there, his weapon aimed at Seth and Roy. However, someone else had Jewell at gunpoint.

“Shelby,” her father said. He even smiled at her. “I’m so glad you’re okay and that Annette didn’t get to finish what she started.”

But her father clearly had plans to finish something.

Whitt had Jewell on her knees, his gun jammed to the back of her head.

Chapter Seventeen

The adrenaline was already slamming into Seth, but now he got another jolt of it. Along with the sickening feeling of dread.

No. This couldn’t be happening.

But it was.

Whitt was finally showing exactly what kind of a man he was: a killer.

It hurt Seth too much to see his mother’s face. So pale. So afraid. But also ready to die if it meant she could somehow save them.

“Let her go,” Roy demanded.

“Right. As if that’ll work. Keep watch behind us,” Whitt told the hired gun. “And if Roy and Seth don’t drop their weapons, kill them. I’d rather they watch while I settle things with Jewell, but I’m not opposed to a change in plans.”

Unlike Annette, Whitt didn’t seem to be flat-out crazy. Those were the eyes of a man hell-bent on revenge and his warped sense of justice. Even though Jewell was the one in need of some real justice here.

“Please let Roy, Seth and Shelby go,” Jewell begged.

Whitt didn’t even spare her a glance. “Drop your guns,” the man snapped, volleying his gaze between Seth and Roy.

It took Seth a moment to realize that Whitt hadn’t demanded the same of Shelby. That was because she wasn’t holding a gun. It was tucked in the back of her jeans, and her hands stayed limp by her sides.

“Dad,” Shelby whispered, her voice strained and raw. Like the look on her face. Not shock or disappointment. Something even stronger.

Horror.

“Yeah,” Whitt said to her. It sounded like the start of some kind of apology. “I didn’t want it to go down this way. Annette went off the deep end and set up this dog and pony show. I’m just cleaning up her mess. That’s one of the reasons I came back, to make sure she didn’t kill you.”

It cut Seth to the bone to see Shelby this way. To see those tears in her eyes. Of course, she’d known her father was a rapist and liar, but she’d probably held out hope that he wasn’t also a killer.

“For the record,” Whitt added to Shelby. “I never tried to kill you or Seth.
Never
. That was all Annette’s insane doing. You’re my little girl. My princess. And I’ll always love you.”

The words sounded perverse coming from Whitt. Did he think he could sway Shelby to his way of thinking? Of course, Shelby was in shock. Perhaps very close to breaking down, so anything might work right now.

“But you did kill someone,” Seth tossed out there. He kept an eye on the thug. Kept watch around them, too, in case Whitt had other hired guns nearby. “Marcel.”

Seth hadn’t been sure his theory was right, but he saw the confirmation spark in Whitt’s expression. Annette had confessed she’d murdered the others but not Marcel. In fact, Annette had been upset about his death, and that meant someone else had killed him.

“Marcel,” Whitt repeated. “I feel a little bad about that. Annette let something slip to him, and he found out I was alive. Marcel called me. He said I should do the right thing by Jewell so she could get out of jail and that he’d recorded our call to turn over to the sheriff. Of course, he didn’t say anything about a recording until near the end of our conversation, or I’d have been more careful with my choice of words.”

“I’m guessing you confessed to the rape,” Seth threw out there.

Whitt only glared at him. “I mentioned something about wanting Jewell to rot in jail. I wanted her there until it was time for her to get the punishment she deserved for leading me on and then crying rape. No woman rejects me. No. Woman!”

Now Seth could see how Whitt wanted his sick plan to play out.

“So you came back to Sweetwater Springs to get the recording, kill Marcel and stop Annette,” Seth said. “You knew your arrival would get Jewell out of jail, but you probably figured that would just make it easier for you to kill her.”

“And I don’t plan on letting Roy have her,” Whitt finished. “Not in this lifetime anyway.” He jammed the gun so hard against Jewell’s temple that she gasped in pain.

Hell. It took every bit of strength for Seth not to launch himself at the man and tear him to pieces.

“So you’re going to kill all of us?” Shelby asked.

Whitt shook his head. “No. Not you. Not even Seth and Roy. They’ll live.”

It was no doubt Whitt’s way of torturing them. If Seth was to believe the man, Roy and he would be alive, but they’d have the nightmarish memories of Jewell dying in front of them.

“I’ll have to leave soon,” Whitt continued, talking to Shelby. “And you’re more than welcome to come with me.”

Shelby swallowed hard, her gaze frozen on her father. “Why are you doing this?
Why?
” Her voice shattered, and the tears came sliding down her cheeks.

“Because Jewell lied. It wasn’t rape. She wanted to be with me.”

“No,” Jewell whispered, but that only caused Whitt to dig the barrel of the gun into her skin.

“You wanted me,” Whitt argued. “But then you grew a conscience and called it rape. Well, if you hadn’t planned on getting in that bed with me, you wouldn’t have come to the cabin.”

In Whitt’s delusional mind, that probably made sense, but Seth knew the reason Jewell had gone there. To tell Whitt to back off. But Whitt’s ego hadn’t been able to handle a rejection like that.

“You’re the reason I had to leave,” Whitt went on, his rage aimed at Jewell. “I couldn’t be sure you wouldn’t spread that lie around town and have me arrested. I wasn’t going to spend one second in jail because of you.”

“I didn’t want you,” Jewell said, “and I didn’t tell anyone about the rape until after you came back.”

Whitt ignored that and shifted his attention back to Roy. “Last chance. Drop your gun now, or I pull the trigger in three seconds. And I’ll change my mind about letting you live and shoot you first.” He didn’t waste any time starting the countdown. “One, two—”

“I’ve spent twenty-three years protecting you from this man,” Jewell said, her focus on Roy, too. “Don’t throw that all away. Please put down your gun.”

Roy didn’t look at her. He kept his glare on Whitt. Seconds passed. Slowly. Then Roy cursed and tossed his gun to the ground.

“Good boy,” Whitt said.

Seth was afraid that patronizing tone was going to cause Roy to snap. While Seth wouldn’t blame Roy for doing that, he didn’t want anything to spin this further out of control. He had to figure out how to get Whitt’s gun away from Jewell and make sure the thug didn’t end up killing them all.

“Now it’s your turn, Seth. Drop your gun,” Whitt ordered.

“I will, but why don’t you go ahead and let Roy and Shelby go. They don’t need to see this.”

“Oh, but Roy does. He needs to see what it’s like to lose.”

Seth had to get his teeth unclenched before he could continue. “Then, let Shelby go.”

“No,” Shelby spoke up. “I’m staying.” She wiped away some tears. “Dad, please. Don’t do this.”

If Whitt had any reaction to that, he didn’t show it. He kept his attention nailed to Seth. “Time’s up. You should have put down your gun when you had the chance.”

And Whitt pulled the trigger.

* * *

T
HE
SHOCK
HIT
Shelby so hard that her vision blurred, and despite the deafening blast from her father’s gun, she had no trouble hearing the screams. First, from her own mouth.

And then from Jewell’s.

The blood came. Spreading across Jewell’s sleeve, and it took Shelby several heart-stopping seconds to realize Whitt hadn’t shot Jewell in the head but rather in her arm.

“You bastard!” Roy shouted, and he came at her father.

Roy didn’t get far. The hulking hired gun rammed his shoulder into Roy’s body and sent Roy straight to the ground. The impact must have knocked the breath from him because Roy started to gasp and wheeze. Shelby wanted to go to him, but the thug shook his head as if he knew what she was considering.

“The next shot will hurt Jewell even worse because it’ll go in her gut,” Whitt spat out, his venomous eyes aimed at Seth. “Now put down that gun and get Shelby out of here.”

When her father looked at her, Shelby thought she might see genuine concern on his face.

Might
.

But considering he’d just shot Jewell, Shelby doubted he had any real concern left for anyone. Including her.

Cursing, Seth lurched forward and probably would have thrown himself at her father if Shelby hadn’t stopped him. Whitt would shoot him. She had no doubts about that now. And he’d shoot Roy, too. In fact, despite her father’s reassurance that he would let everyone but Jewell go, Shelby didn’t believe him.

Jewell clamped her teeth over her bottom lip, clearly trying to fight the pain. “Seth, please. Just take Shelby and Roy and leave. It’s the only way you’ll be safe.”

“We’ll never be safe as long as Whitt’s alive.” Seth’s voice was low and dangerous.

It was true. But at least if they stayed alive, they’d be able to track down Whitt and bring him to justice. That wouldn’t happen if her father managed to kill them all right here.

“Well?” Whitt spat out, looking at Seth again now. “What will it be? I can put bullets in your mother all day if that’s what you want. Enough bullets for her to bleed out right in front of you. Or you can give me what I want and put down the gun.”

Think
.

She had to do something to stop this.

Then she remembered the gun she’d tucked in the back of her jeans. Her father hadn’t seen it. Or if he had, he’d obviously thought she wouldn’t use it against him. Shelby would if she thought she could shoot him before he killed one of them. But she knew her aim wasn’t nearly good enough to make a tight shot such as that. Not with Jewell and Roy so close.

But Seth could.

Shelby looked at him. “Go ahead. Put down your gun. It’s what your mother wants you to do.”

She hoped the words were right. Enough to convince her father that she was helping to move his sick plan along. However, Shelby also hoped that Seth knew what she was truly offering.

Her gun. To him.

She didn’t want to motion toward the weapon in case her father or his goon noticed, but as observant as Seth was, she had to believe he’d seen it.

“Please, Seth,” Jewell added. “Please put it down.”

The woman’s breath came in jagged bursts now, and she was trembling. No doubt from the blood loss and pain. She needed an ambulance. Roy perhaps did, too, and that was all the more reason to speed this along.

The muscles in Seth’s jaw tightened. His neck corded. But he finally dropped his gun on the ground in front of him.

“Get their weapons,” her father immediately ordered the other man.

The guy reached to do that, but he stopped and pivoted in the direction of the guesthouse while moving back in front of her father in a protective stance. That was when Shelby saw Cooper. He was armed and leaning out from the exterior wall.

Shelby’s first reaction was relief. They obviously needed backup. But this was a very precarious situation right now, and if Cooper starting shooting, it could turn even more deadly than it already was.

“Cooper,” Whitt called out. “I know you’re not especially fond of your mother, but if you want to be the reason she dies the hard way, then fire your gun. You might hit my friend here, but he’s wearing a Kevlar vest.”

Shelby didn’t see the bulletproof vest, but the guy had on a bulky T-shirt covered by a black nylon jacket. It could be hidden along with other backup weapons. But she was fairly certain that Cooper, too, carried a backup gun. She prayed he did anyway, because it might be necessary if bullets started flying.

“If you don’t do as I say,” her father added to Cooper, “then Jewell will be the one who pays the price. So throw down your gun, put your hands on top of your head so I can see them and join us.”

“Do it, Cooper,” Seth insisted. “Put down your gun.”

That didn’t help Cooper’s already stony expression. Seth and he weren’t on friendly terms, and Cooper probably thought Seth had lost his mind asking him to surrender his weapon. But the truth was Cooper didn’t have a shot. Yes, he could shoot the goon in the head, but by then Jewell would be dead.

Maybe the rest of them, too.

Her father already had his gun in his hand, and he’d proved he had no trouble shooting someone.

Roy glanced at both Seth and Cooper. Then her. Maybe he suspected that Seth and she had a plan, because he maneuvered himself so that he could see Cooper.

“Son, do as they say,” Roy insisted. Shelby wasn’t sure how he managed to keep his voice so calm with Jewell bleeding and in pain just a few feet away.

Jewell nodded. “Cooper, do it. I don’t want any of my children paying for what I did.”

That put a smile on Whitt’s face. A smile that sickened Shelby so much that she nearly gagged.

“You gotta love a woman who admits she was wrong,” Whitt said. And he smacked a kiss on Jewell’s pale cheek.

Shelby was terrified that would set off Cooper, Seth and Roy, but Cooper tossed his gun into the yard between the garage and the guesthouse.

“Well done,” Whitt proclaimed. “Roy and Jewell, I have to admit you did raise some obedient children.”

“I’m obedient,” Shelby lied.

Another smile. So much evil. So sick. Yet she couldn’t let him see that right now.

“I’ve missed you,” she said to him.

“I missed you, too, princess.”

She took a step closer to her father. A move that also put her slightly in front of Seth. Where he’d hopefully have a better chance of reaching her gun. If not, at least she’d be in front of him.

Seth wouldn’t care much for that.

But her father had already given this family enough pain. Shelby wasn’t going to let her father take Seth from Jewell.

“I need you next to Roy,” Seth whispered to her.

Her stomach sank. Because Shelby was almost certain what Seth was asking her to do. After he pulled her gun, Seth wanted her to drop out of the way so that he would be left to shoot it out with her father and the thug.

If she’d been wrong about Cooper having a backup weapon, then Seth would die.

“You can come with me if you want,” Whitt said to her. But then his gaze shifted to Seth. “But you won’t. Because you’re in love with him. And everything you’re saying right now is all to protect him.”